Penn State Defeats George Mason in Four Sets to Win EIVA Championship

Story posted April 25, 2021 in CommRadio, Sports by Emma Holtz

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The No. 8 Penn State Nittany Lions stand tall and proud as EIVA conference tournament champions. A calculated approach and aggressive resolve by the Blue and White bested the George Mason Patriots in four sets to take home the trophy in their home territory of Rec Hall.

The victory adds another notch on Penn State’s all-time series belt, as the Nittany Lions are now 112-18 all-time against the Patriots.

The Nittany Lions wasted little time and came out swinging early in the first set with an established six-point lead over George Mason. Two challenges interrupted play and left the Patriots feeling frustrated by the point deficit. Attack errors, an achilles heel for George Mason throughout the championship, lost critical points as play progressed.

“We benefited from a rash of hitting errors from them,” Penn State head coach Mark Pavlik said. “Inopportune times for them, but we’ll take it.”

Outside hitters proved to be Penn State’s hidden gem throughout the match. Out of 59 kills in total, juniors Cal Fisher and Brett Wildman accounted for 49.

Wildman in particular established his dominance by targeting both cross-court and deep when fed the ball by setter Cole Bogner. His four service aces disrupted George Mason’s mindset and continued to rack up points.

Penn State controlled much of set two similarly to the first. Known for balancing service line control and explosive power at the net, the Blue and White utilized strong serving runs from Bogner and Wildman to retain momentum.

Wildman’s two consecutive service aces forced a timeout from George Mason and gave Penn State a narrow lead.

The third set electrified Rec Hall as Penn State found itself trailing George Mason a few minutes into play. The Nittany Lions suddenly struggled with simple attack errors.

However, the tide turned in Penn State’s favor when a hit off the block by Fisher earned back a point—a crucial moment for the Blue and White to claw its way back into the third set. Sharp and strong attacks closed the gap to a nail-biting overtime.

But the Patriots refused to go down in a sweep. George Mason continued to deny Penn State an immediate win, claiming the victory 32-30 in five set points.

George Mason showed early promise in the fourth set with a bullet kill by senior Sam Greenslade. Despite challenges from the Patriots, Penn State’s lead grew larger as the set progressed. A blocking brigade of three Nittany Lions stuffed George Mason’s attempted attack, further increasing the lead.

Fisher’s serves proved to be lethal, grazing the tape as they headed over the net and shanking off the arms of George Mason’s defense.

The Green and Gold gave what was left in the tank before eventually falling to Penn State in a thrilling conclusion, clinching the EIVA championship for the home squad. Fans erupted with joy as players flooded the court to congratulate and celebrate.

The hard-fought victory on the court can be compared to the incredible work behind the scenes, as Pavlik acknowledged in a statement regarding the university’s resilience in making the EIVA championship a reality this year.

“It’s just not another match here,” Pavlik said. “I think we do a great job of hosting the championships, and I can’t speak enough about our equipment room people. Anything that’s needed by any of the teams that were here, it’s taken care of. That’s what we’re all about here at Penn State.”

George Mason’s head coach Jay Hosack also praised his team for staying alert and not having a single player test positive for COVID-19 throughout the season.

Crowned with their 21st win of the season as tournament champions, the Nittany Lions punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament in Columbus, Ohio, from May 3 to 8.

Penn State is the champion today but is actively looking forward to the opportunity to represent the university and the EIVA on a national scale.

 

Emma Holtz is a freshman majoring in public relations. To contact her, email exh5337@psu.edu.